Health data is collected by healthcare professionals and patients for the purpose of understanding and improving patients' health. It is common for physicians to collect this data in clinics and hospitals; however, when necessary, samples of blood, urine, mucus, feces, etc. are collected and sent to a laboratory for further analysis and data collection.
One problem with data collection is that it can be tedious, requiring a patient's time and the time of his or her physician. When a sample is required to be sent to a laboratory, sample collection can be inconvenient for a patient as he or she may need to travel to give the sample. In addition, fecal samples can be unsanitary and/or repulsive to collect and handle. Another problem is that a sample which is collected at one moment in time may be representative of only that moment. In general, when a patient is out of a care facility, data and/or sample collection may not be as frequent or as regular as would be desired to obtain more comprehensive health data.